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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26407540">like you're drawing hearts around my name</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/benditlikepress/pseuds/benditlikepress'>benditlikepress</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cliche, F/M, Getting Together, Tropes, accidental confessions, i cannot stress enough how goofy and self indulgent this is, i would apologise but i'm very unapologetic about the whole thing, much fluffier than it sounds, references to Deep Six, references to the Secret Summer tm, tony on painkillers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:54:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,717</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26407540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/benditlikepress/pseuds/benditlikepress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Disaster befalls the team as they investigate a bank robbery.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>like you're drawing hearts around my name</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>set at some indeterminate season 10 time. very much inspired by tony on painkillers and my desire to see ziva looking after him. also more tropes than any one fic should ever have.<br/>title is from shhh.. don’t say it by fletcher</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>"I just don't see why it's such a big deal."</p><p>"Of course <em>you</em> would say that, Tony."</p><p>"I've told you I'll clean it!"</p><p>"And perhaps if this was the first time, that would be enough."</p><p>"It's pizza, Ziva, it's not red wine. It's no big deal."</p><p>Ziva turned to look at him with derision as she signalled and pulled into the next lane. He held tightly onto the handle above the door and gave her a look back, though she was certain it was for dramatic effect. She was barely even at the speed limit.</p><p>"The point is, <em>Tony</em>, I tell you time and time again not to eat pizza in my car. And look at what happens the second my back is turned."</p><p>"Hey, I'm not the only one who ignored rules, alright? What about last week when you made me go on that 5am run? That goes against everything I believe in."</p><p>"You could have said no."</p><p>"You could've said no to giving me a ride home last night."</p><p>Ziva hated that she couldn't think of an immediate response, the swift verbal sparring coming to an abrupt end. She was sure sometimes that he made ridiculous comparisons just to throw her off like that during a petty bicker session, and she was right if the slow smile growing on his face was anything to go by.</p><p>She bit back her own. She wasn't sure who else she could get such enjoyment out of arguing with.</p><p>"If you don't like my rules, there is a spare seat in Gibbs' car."</p><p>"Yeah, like that's gonna happen."</p><p>"For seven years you have been complaining about my driving, and you still pick it every time."</p><p>"Better music.” Tony signalled the CD player, though it was only playing quietly. Long journeys upstate needed some kind of buffer. “Well, anything's better the sound of McGee tapping his feet and trying to think of conversation. Even your music I don't understand."</p><p>"My music is all that is in my favour, hm? Perhaps if I start driving in silence you will leave me alone."</p><p>"Where else would you get this stimulating conversation?"</p><p>Ziva playfully squinted her eyes when they met with his. It was always like this when they were overtired: their personalities tending to be heightened, rather than dampened. "McGee and I get along very well, as it happens."</p><p>"Talking about me behind my back, huh?"</p><p>"Sometimes. Although, believe it or not, there are other things in my life besides you."</p><p>Tony chuckled at the assertion but didn’t argue, and Ziva turned to look at him as he tapped his fingers on the rucksack on his lap.</p><p>"What has put you in such a good mood?"</p><p>"There have to be a reason? Sun is shining, murderer behind bars. On the trail of millions of dollars. That's a good day in my book."</p><p>“<em>One</em> million dollars. Usually you are not so enthusiastic about a Monday morning.”</p><p>“Long couple of days – maybe my body doesn’t realise what day it is.”</p><p>“Maybe it is over-tiredness, not just a good mood.”</p><p>“That’s a very cynical attitude, <em>Miss David</em>.” Ziva rolled her eyes. "So whadda you make of all this? You think we'll find anything important?"</p><p>"At the farmhouse? I am not sure, in all honestly."</p><p>"You buying his story?"</p><p>"Yes. He seemed to be telling the truth. And it was very detailed for a lie – the average person does not think so logically to be deceptive on the spot."</p><p>What had started off as a simple case of a missing petty officer had soon spiralled out of control when prints found on the scene of a bank robbery matched those unearthed on the petty officer's recently discovered body.</p><p>But now the murderer had been apprehended, full confession given, and he'd given up the names of his two bank robbery accomplices and the location of the stolen money - the farmhouse belonging to one of the two men, John Richards.</p><p>He claimed he'd not spoken to either man in several days, since before the murder, and phone records seemed to support it. He'd expected to be in contact with the third man, Donny Matthews, but said that a lack of contact with him wasn't entirely out of character and that he was staying at Richards' house until the meet. As far as Richards and Matthews knew, their plan was still on to meet tomorrow morning to split the money and head off in opposite directions. The team were hoping to catch Richards red-handed before he or the money moved.</p><p>“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Hope it’s worth the drive, either way.”</p><p>“Two hours in the car is very little on a money trail, Tony. If they really do not want to be caught, we should be chasing it halfway around the world by now.”</p><p>“Any excuse for a trip, huh?”</p><p>Before Ziva could reply, the car in front of them carrying Gibbs and McGee signalled off the main road and down a track lined by trees. Ziva could see a marked car parked a little way further down hidden by trees, and signalled to follow them.</p><p>"Here."</p><p>Ziva turned and began to wind down the path behind the other car, as the trees cleared.</p><p>"You're kidding."</p><p>'Farmhouse' was, as it turned out, a gross understatement for the several-story-tall barn conversion that listed John Richards as its sole occupant. The windows were large and shining in contrast to the old building, which was open at the front but had a large imposing fence start at its sides and presumably wind around the back. At the front of the house was a garage that Ziva estimated held room for at least 4 cars.</p><p>Tony continued to whistle in disbelief as Ziva pulled to a stop a hundred yards from the house, parking behind Gibbs’ car.</p><p>"Ever think we're in the wrong profession?"</p><p>"Right now? Yes."</p><p>"I bet us two could do that."</p><p>"Rob banks?"</p><p>"Charm, undercover skills, your shady contacts. Easy."</p><p>"I think it requires a little more than charm to make this much money through robbery, Tony."</p><p>"It's all about confidence."</p><p>"Bonnie and Clive."</p><p>"Clyde."</p><p>"Is that a real name?"</p><p>"Uh-huh. Probably unpopular due to reputation." The final word was accentuated by the sound Tony made as he stepped out of the car, stretching his arms above his head after the long journey.</p><p>Gibbs and McGee made their way towards them along with two uniformed officers, while several others headed towards the house.</p><p>"Hey McGee, can I get a ride home tonight? My car's still in the shop."</p><p>“What’s wrong with Ziva’s car?”</p><p>“Creative differences.” Ziva answered for Tony with a smile.</p><p>"Depends. You got any more pizza in your bag?"</p><p>"Other things to talk about in your life besides me, huh?" Tony directed back at Ziva who pulled a face at him as she put her vest on. "What do you make of this place, boss? Was just saying to Ziva, maybe we should give it a try."</p><p>"That a confession, DiNozzo?"</p><p>"Hah. Good one."</p><p>“Alright, you two head around back. Check for life. McGee, you’re with me.”</p><p>Tony and Ziva did as instructed, walking around the perimeter of the house and past the fence that housed a smaller back garden. The fence was at least 8 feet tall and rigid, but wooden, with large concrete posts holding it in place. Obscuring the property and garden from view, but not exactly imposing for potential intruders.</p><p>“Not very security conscious, huh?”</p><p>“I was expecting barbed wire.”</p><p>“At least spikes. We could easily boost over this.”</p><p>“Hands out.” Ziva answered, holding her finger up to Tony’s lips as he went to object. Eventually he relented and bent down, holding out his hands for Ziva to step onto and boost herself up onto the wall.</p><p>She hung herself over the side while Tony held her legs, looking into what was more a dirt patch than a garden. Ziva supposed first impressions didn’t always tell the whole story. A shovel was stood up against an outhouse, and she noted the fresh dirt on its end.</p><p>“You see anyone?”</p><p>“No…” Ziva trailed off as she continued to look around. The house was boarded up at the back, and didn’t look especially lived in. It wasn’t that that caught her attention, though, as much as the freshly dug mound of earth a couple of feet in front of her.</p><p>There was an object sticking out of it at its opposite end that she couldn’t quite make out from this position.</p><p>“You wanna…”</p><p>“Shh. Wait.” Ziva squinted. “Hold me steady.”</p><p>“I’m trying, you keep moving.”</p><p>“Stop. Right there.”</p><p>She pulled the top of her body forward to get a better view of the object sticking out of the pile.</p><p>A boot.</p><p>"Tony, call forensics."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I think we've found Donny Matthews."</p>
<hr/><p>After calling for further backup and a forensics team, Tony and Ziva rejoined Gibbs and McGee at the front of the house and filled them in. The situation had got a hell of a lot more serious, and when there was still no answer at the door Tony kicked it in and the four of them entered with their guns drawn.</p><p>As Ziva had expected from the look of the back of the house, it barely seemed lived in despite its lavish front. Several downstairs rooms that she could see from her vantage point in the hallway had sheets covering furniture, and there was a clear dust layer over everything else.</p><p>“John Richards?” A uniformed officer called out as they all entered the building, glancing into open doors.</p><p>Gibbs signalled at Tony and Ziva to clear the upstairs rooms. They jogged up them side by side, guns out in front of them.</p><p>The rooms on the first floor were much like the ones downstairs – a little more time being taken to clear them as the coverings over the furniture would make it easy for somebody to hide in plain sight. The two of them met again in the hallway after covering several bedrooms, the light shining in through the long windowpane that covered the stairwells.</p><p>"There is another floor." Ziva signalled up the stairs in a quiet voice.</p><p>"You do that last room, I'll check upstairs."</p><p>Ziva nodded and continued down the corridor as Tony veered off.</p><p>This room was bigger than the others – large windows, open on a latch. Ziva opened the series of doors along the back wall to look inside the wardrobes but found nothing but a couple of hanging shirts that clearly hadn’t been touched in a while.</p><p>She went to close the doors again, but a noise above her head stopped her dead in her tracks.</p><p>A shout. Tony's voice. Someone else. A loud series of bangs and bashes followed by a thud.</p><p>Ziva ran out of the room, gun drawn, back to the staircase where she'd left Tony.</p><p>A figure flew past the opposite end of the corridor, careering across the walkway and down the stairs to the ground floor before Ziva could catch up.</p><p>"GIBBS, INCOMING." She managed to shout as she approached the foot of the second floor stairs. A uniformed officer who had been stationed down the corridor called at her to stay where she was as he followed, and soon she heard Gibbs and McGee's shouts, the sound of footsteps and the back door flying open as three people exploded out of it.</p><p>She stayed frozen to the spot, looking at the floorboards. Tony lay in a heap at the foot of the stairs, his head bleeding and much more of it staining his left trouser leg.</p><p>It took a moment for her to react, the scene hitting her sharply, before she sprung into action and ran to his side. The mundanity of the day so far - flirtatious smirks and petty squabbles dead in their tracks as she saw the blood on the floorboard underneath him.</p><p>“He pushed me down the stairs.”</p><p>“They will get him, do not worry about that. Stay still.” She accentuated as he went to sit up. “Does anywhere hurt?”</p><p>“My.. hand. God, I think I’m gonna throw up.”</p><p>Ziva looked at his left wrist, which looked worryingly wonky. She lifted his trouser leg where she could see the blood seeping through and thankfully it didn’t look broken in spite of the large cut. She took off her jacket and held it to the gaping wound on his leg, hoping to stem the bleeding. She bent down to examine the small wound on his head, wondering if it needed similar attention.</p><p>"How many stairs was it?"</p><p>"No idea.”</p><p>Tony jerked suddenly, and Ziva managed to turn his head quickly enough for him to vomit onto the floorboards the opposite side of his body to her. She got her phone out of her pocket and rang for an ambulance while he coughed.</p><p>She tried to calm her voice as she spoke to the dispatcher, hurried and harsh, electing to hold down on the bigger wound on Tony's leg while her other hand was occupied.</p><p>"They are on their way. You need to stay still, OK? Just in case you have injured your back. Does it hurt?"</p><p>"No more than usual."</p><p>"Your head?"</p><p>"No, it's just... wet."</p><p>"It is bleeding a little, but I would not worry too much about that for now."</p><p>Tony lifted his good hand to where Ziva's was holding her jacket over the wound on his leg. He pushed her fingers away to feel it, bringing his hand up in front of his face to look at the red liquid in fear.</p><p>"That's a lot of blood."</p><p>"My hand is there, it is not broken. No need to worry about that."</p><p>“You’re practically squeezing it to death.”</p><p>Ziva instinctively rolled her eyes a little and readjusted her hand, trying to keep Tony's leg still but failing and sending a jerk of pain through the limb.</p><p>"Sorry."</p><p>"You're a crappy nurse."</p><p>"Maybe that is because I am an assassin, hm?"</p><p>"Sorry for extending the job description."</p><p>"It is never too late to learn new skills. Like you and your bank robbing, yes?"</p><p>Tony smirked, but it was lacking humour. "Knew that good mood wouldn’t last. I freaking hate Mondays."</p><p>Ziva’s instinct was to laugh at the sudden dampener to his mood, but it died on her lips before it could escape. Guilt was starting to burrow in her chest, eating away as he lay prone. "I should have waited to come upstairs with you. I am so sorry, Tony, really - it did not even occur to me to-"</p><p>"Hey, these things happen. I volunteered. Just.." he trailed off as he tried to gesture his hand, the pain making him cry out in a way Ziva had seldom ever heard from him. She took his other hand in her own, circling his fingers and squeezing.</p><p>"What happened? Are you OK?"</p><p>Ziva felt McGee approach at speed and kneel down just over her shoulder.</p><p>"Pushed me down the stairs.”</p><p>"Ambulance on its way?"</p><p>"Yes. I think this is broken." Ziva used their joined hands to signal Tony's wrist, hanging feebly on his stomach.</p><p>"Did you catch him?"</p><p>"Gibbs. He fell over the fence when he tried to jump it and twisted his ankle. Not sure he should enter the Olympics any time soon."</p><p>"The body?"</p><p>"Forensics are waiting on a digger."</p><p>"I am not sure machines are necessary, I could see his foot sticking out of the ground."</p><p>"We'll see what they say. You guys need anything here?"</p><p>She looked back down at Tony, his hand still clutching hers. His palm was warm, as it always was. "I think we are alright. Could you go outside to meet the ambulance? They said it would only be a couple of minutes."</p><p>"Sure."</p><p>McGee took off his vest and shrugged off his jacket, dropping it over the hand Ziva had on Tony's leg wound.</p><p>Things were quiet for a minute or two after McGee left, silence punctuated only by heavy breathing and distant hubbub from officers outside. Tony's eyes were glancing around the landing but Ziva's were trained on him as they drooped.</p><p>"Keep talking to me, Tony."</p><p>"You were right, earlier."</p><p>"What was I right about?"</p><p>"It's not like I'm gonna pass out from this. I'm just tired."</p><p>Tony's eyes lit up, though lazily, when Ziva laughed. Focused on the light in his eyes, trying to block out what surrounded them.</p><p>"You just need to stay awake a little longer."</p><p>"They find the money?"</p><p>"We can look for it later."</p><p>"It might be halfway around the world by then, right?"</p><p>"They are not as smart as you and I."</p><p>She thought it would elicit a smile, and it did, though his body jostled and bought with it a wince of pain she guessed was from his wrist on his stomach.</p><p>He'd been on fine form this morning, one of those days where they'd spent an hour batting back and forth over the same topic in a way they'd perfected soon after becoming partners. It was the intimacy of a lengthy period in someone's life, and the shared reality of their pasts together, though, that informed her actions now. Speaking to him in quiet tones and holding his other hand with her spare one loosely but reassuringly.</p><p>“They are almost here, alright? I think I hear them.”</p><p>Ziva did think she heard a siren in the distance, one of the benefits of being so close to the main road. Tony was by now gritting his teeth with the pain, and she squeezed his hand as a gesture to encourage him to do the same back.</p><p>“Sorry.” He said apologetically after one such squeeze.</p><p>“You know I can withstand much harder than that.”</p><p>He smiled and then the gesture froze as their gaze held. Ziva searched his eyes for what it was he was thinking of, eyelids slightly squinted, but before either of them could speak they were interrupted.</p><p>"Agent DiNozzo?"</p><p>Ziva turned when the bustle behind them turned into the sight of two paramedics carrying bags, clambering up the stairs and approaching them. Tony didn’t lift his head. "Uh-huh."</p><p>"How many stairs did you fall down?"</p><p>"Uh - not sure. Not all of them."</p><p>"Did you see it happen?" It took Ziva a moment to tune into the conversation, and she hummed. She had been too busy watching the second paramedic as he pulled her hand gently from Tony's leg and looked at the cut.</p><p>"No, I just heard the noise."</p><p>"Was it you that vomited, Mr DiNozzo?"</p><p>"Yeah. Just from pain, I think."</p><p>"Any pain in your head? Dizziness?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"What day is it?"</p><p>"Monday. Morning, sometime. I think it’s near lunch.”</p><p>"Do you know where we are?"</p><p>"At Richards' house. Pretty sure he has a body buried in the garden."</p><p>The paramedic looked at Ziva alarmingly, but she nodded.</p><p>The two women continued to examine Tony’s wounds, asking him questions and keeping his wrist prone where they could check it for any more complex damage that would prevent him moving.</p><p>“We’re going to go and get a board to take you in on, OK, Mr DiNozzo?”</p><p>“Is that really necessary?”</p><p>“Just listen to them, hm?” Ziva admonished him as they bought him up to a sitting position.</p><p>“God, this is embarrassing.”</p><p>“You would be more embarrassed if you fell over in front of all of these people, Tony. How were you planning to get downstairs?”</p><p>Tony didn’t end up on the bed in the end, being half-carried downstairs by the underside of his arms by the two paramedics with Ziva walking behind him with a hand on his back.</p><p>Outside of the house was by now bustling with agents and local LEOs. Ziva could just about make out John Richards, in the back of a squad car, handcuffed and being questioned by an officer.</p><p>Gibbs reappeared, silent as ever, and one of the paramedics sensed a need to inform him what was happening.</p><p>“We’ll follow when we can.” He finished, addressing Tony, who nodded but looked at Ziva.</p><p>"Are you staying here?"</p><p>"No. I am coming with you."</p><p>Gibbs didn't object as Ziva looked back at him before climbing into the ambulance behind Tony.</p>
<hr/><p>"We're gonna give you something for the pain, Mr DiNozzo."</p><p>"Oh god, please don't."</p><p>"Tony."</p><p>"Just - apologise if I say anything weird."</p><p>She'd seen Tony on painkillers endless times before, and he usually flitted between childlike, flighty, and downright obnoxious. Still, the thought sent a jolt of fondness through her stomach. She wasn’t sure she’d find that endearing on anybody else.</p><p>“I am sure your apology is noted.”</p><p>The journey to the hospital eventually began, no lights or noises as Tony lay fidgeting. Ziva could see the fast-acting painkillers beginning to work, his eyes wandering further and further. His hand had ended up back in hers at some point, though she wasn’t sure exactly when.</p><p>“So, Mr DiNozzo. You said something about a body in a backyard? Sure sounds interesting.”</p><p>Ziva could see what the paramedic was doing: she could remember, before operations, the anaesthetist trying to engage her in inane conversation that would confuse her right up until the drugs took hold. She could remember her mother doing the same with Tali when they were younger – Ziva never being one that had needed distracting from pain.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah. It’s – uh, bank robbery, murder, you name it.”</p><p>“Wow. A pretty full-on job, right?”</p><p>“Has it’s moments.”</p><p>Tony’s voice was becoming more spaced as he talked, and the paramedic continued to ask him questions as she moved to look at his head injury. Tony’s grip on Ziva’s hand weakened as the minutes passed, fingers still curled around hers but the type of pressure that meant they would’ve dropped had she moved an inch.</p><p>She didn’t.</p><p>"Ziva.."</p><p>He eventually spaced out completely from the conversation with the paramedic, his head twisting to look at where she was sat a little further down his body. She hoped they were nearing the hospital now.</p><p>"Yes, I'm right here."</p><p>"Say sorry if I say anything weird."</p><p>"I already told you I would."</p><p>"Say sorry!"</p><p>"I did, Tony."</p><p>“Oh. Thank you.”</p><p>“They should be making your wrist feel a little better until the doctors can get a look at it. I think they’ll take you for an x-ray. I don’t think we’re gonna need to take any clothing off you just yet – your friend here did a good job stopping the bleeding in your leg.”</p><p>“She’s my partner.”</p><p>“Ah, I see.” The paramedic glanced at her in a way that suggested she wasn’t sure of the double meaning.</p><p>“She’s great. She’s an assassin, did she tell you?” The paramedic’s expression turned to one of amusing alarm for a moment before Ziva dismissed it with a slight shake of her head. “She’s great.” Tony repeated. “I love her.”</p><p>Ziva felt an almost instantaneous rush of blood to the head when Tony said the word, and soon found herself fidgeting in her seat as she felt two sets of eyes burning on her. She wasn’t sure in what context he’d meant the sentiment, but the word in and of itself was enough to provoke a reaction in her.</p><p>"You know that, right? I love you.”</p><p>Ziva still wasn’t sure in what sense he’d meant it, but the weight of the words specifically directed at her changed. His voice implored her to look him in the eye. She smiled reassuringly. "I know. Just relax, OK?"</p><p>The paramedic looked at Ziva playfully, clearly assuming a relationship Ziva couldn’t herself quantify. Words she wasn’t sure she could assign meaning to. She looked away, back down at Tony's good hand which was clutching hers loosely.</p><p>“We’re nearly there now. We’ll have to take you in on the bed just to make it easier for us, OK? I know you didn’t like the idea before.”</p><p>“My legs are weak, I don’t think I can walk.”</p><p>“That’s OK, you don’t need to.”</p><p>"And my hand feels weird."</p><p>"You've broken it, Mr DiNozzo."</p><p>"I have? You should take me to the hospital."</p><p>The paramedic chuckled. "We are right now."</p><p>"Oh. Good. OK."</p><p>“How’s the pain?”</p><p>“OK. Those drugs are good.”</p><p>“Yeah, we’ve been told that before.”</p><p>“You’re very good at your jobs. I’m impressed.”</p><p>"You are a charmer, hey, Mr DiNozzo?"</p><p>"Ziva says the DiNozzo charm ended with the last generation."</p><p>"She doesn't mean that, I'm sure. OK, tell me if this hurts."</p><p>"No."</p><p>"I haven't done it yet."</p><p>"Oh, sorry." Tony waited while the paramedic started to tend to the cut on his leg. It had stopped bleeding quite so profusely now, Ziva's clothing apparently having worked wonders.</p><p>Tony barely seemed to notice the work being done, his eyes focused back on Ziva and a small frown on his face.</p><p>“What?” The question could’ve been self-conscious, but for the expression on his face making it clear there was nothing focused about his attention on her.</p><p>“Make sure you find out what’s happening with the money.”</p><p>“I will. That is for us to worry about, not you.”</p><p>“Make sure they don’t steal it.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Anyone. McGee.”</p><p>“You think <em>McGee</em> would steal money?”</p><p>“No. No? He used to be rich, d’you remember? Gross leather jacket.”</p><p>“That was from his books.”</p><p>“Oh yeah. About us, right? We’re famous.” Tony finished the conversation by nodding at the paramedic covering the cut on his leg, who seemed to be enjoying the entertainment.</p><p>“I’ll have to read them, Mr DiNozzo.”</p><p>“Ah, you shouldn’t. He didn’t do a very good job. Got us all wrong.”</p><p>“Is that so?”</p><p>“Uh-huh.” Tony didn’t offer any more of an explanation, and the ambulance finally fell quiet.</p>
<hr/><p>Gibbs and McGee got to the hospital relatively quickly, though rather than joining Ziva they stayed by the nurses station talking to a few members of staff.</p><p>Ziva herself was stood by the window outside of Tony’s room, stealing glances inside. He was being examined, trying not to wince and complain despite the pain he was still clearly in. It was jarring to see him like this – though she’d usually argue against it, she couldn’t help but notice he was usually much better at hiding his feelings than this.</p><p>A few times he looked out of the window as though he was searching for her, and she fought the urge to barge in despite the doctor’s request for her to stay outside. She thought about Somalia, and the Port to Port killer, and how often he'd saved her from situations like that. Seeing <em>him</em> in a hospital bed was an entirely different story.</p><p>In stark contrast to her own mood, the doctor examining him seemed to be laughing much more often than was common. Before Ziva could dwell on what he might be saying, his words in the ambulance flashed back into her mind.</p><p>She couldn’t be sure, punctuated as it was by the compliments on her ability as a partner, what it was he had meant when he said he loved her. She knew better by now than to take anything Tony said while on painkillers seriously.</p><p>Still, though. Letting go of this was proving to be a lot harder than letting go of him talking about raindrops on the window as he had done once after injuring his ankle.</p><p>Of course <em>she</em> loved <em>him</em> - a foregone conclusion for a long time now. It may have been a while since she admitted it to herself but if she was honest she'd think it had been the truth for much longer than that.</p><p>The words themselves hadn't shocked her, if indeed he'd meant them in that way, but rather the fact they'd been said out loud. They'd forged a relationship off silence, declarations only coming in the most dire of situations. Ziva was certain that Tony knew she felt the same. She was glad of that fact, actually, though when she was younger it would've humiliated her. She remembered her stomach knotting when Gibbs and Ducky had called her out over her feelings during his relationship with Jeanne. She'd been naive enough to think he wouldn't know (he did, of course - their few conversations about the matter in the months following her departure had made that clear).</p><p>Now, though, it was something of a comfort. Mutual understanding forged off a knowledge that, one day, someday, it would happen. Ziva had been certain of that for a while.</p><p>When the doctor eventually left Tony’s room and told Ziva she could go inside, her feet had gone dead from standing in one position. She shook her leg subtly as she entered the room.</p><p>Tony was by now sat on the edge of the bed, primed as though he expected to be able to make a run for it any second.</p><p>"Beds are for lying down."</p><p>He grinned broadly.</p><p>"Hey."</p><p>"Hi. How are you?"</p><p>"Turns out wrists aren't supposed to bend this way."</p><p>"I will remember that." Ziva nodded knowingly. She thought about sitting next to him on the bed but changed her mind, resting her back against the nearest wall.</p><p>"Is Gibbs mad at me?"</p><p>"Why would he be mad at you?"</p><p>"Went alone. Took too long to react."</p><p>"He will not be angry at you, Tony. It is like you told me - these things happen. You did nothing wrong."</p><p>"I did? My memory is a little.."</p><p>She was glad it seemed to be a reaction to the drugs and pain rather than a head injury.</p><p>"Don't worry about Gibbs. He is right outside wanting to see that you are alright."</p><p>“I’m fine.” Tony went to stand up and was sent back down to a seated position by his leg. Ziva moved to his side, pushing him the final way back down onto the mattress.</p><p>“You need to stay put.”</p><p>"I'm no use in this bed."</p><p>"Come on, Tony. You are of no use to anybody with you hand hanging away from your arm."</p><p>"It's not <em>that</em> bad," he reasoned, before chuckling a little. "You're right, though. I sound like you."</p><p>“You are a little more lucid now than you were in the ambulance.”</p><p>“Different drugs. I think I was already wired enough. I hate hospitals."</p><p>"I know. I am here though, yes? I do not think we will be here too much longer."</p><p>Ziva knew she was baby-ing him, just a little, but Tony on painkillers was someone who needed that.</p><p>Before he could reply, a doctor entered the room holding a clipboard.</p><p>“How are we, Mr DiNozzo?”</p><p>“Room service isn’t great. I’m starving.”</p><p>The doctor looked at Ziva in confusion, as though she’d have an answer to what he was talking about.</p><p>“We’ll get you something to eat just as soon as we’ve taken you to get an x-ray on that hand, OK?</p><p>"Sure."</p><p>"Maybe your girlfriend can go and get something from the cafeteria while she waits? We won't be long."</p><p>Ziva didn’t think to correct him, but then neither did Tony, too busy protesting the rigmarole as a porter came into the room with a wheelchair to take him for his x-ray.</p><p>Ziva followed them out of the room and met back up with Gibbs and McGee at the nurses station, the former of which was engaging a doctor in what seemed to be an intense fact-finding mission.</p><p>"How long till he's back at work?"</p><p>"What is it you guys do?"</p><p>Gibbs shot the doctor a disbelieving glare, as though it was obvious. "We're federal agents."</p><p>His tone was sharp and cutting in that way he could be without warning, loud from silence, and seemed to startle the doctor.</p><p>"OK. Well, obviously his movement will be limited which means desk-work until after the cast is off, but I don’t see why that can’t be happening by next week. We’ll know more in a few days. Does he have anyone at home for tonight?"</p><p>"Yes." Ziva answered without hesitation.</p><p>"OK, good. He needs to take these per the instructions on the label. Sleep is probably the best thing for him, he may be a little groggy as the meds enter his system. Any concussion symptoms or similar problems, bring him back in." He placed the prescription in Ziva's hands.</p>
<hr/><p>Tony was finally discharged late in the afternoon, sporting a cast on his lower arm and a bandage stuck to the back of his head. Ziva had got through the day on cheap hospital coffee and aspirin, lack of sleep and harsh lighting leaving a dull ache behind her eyes that settled some time during Tony's x-ray and never quite released her.</p><p>Gibbs came back to the hospital to drive them both to Tony's place. He’d been quiet in the hospital, and Ziva had thought it might be reserved anger towards her for letting Tony go by himself. When she’d tried to apologise, though, she’d been stopped. Ziva had never quite believed it to be the sign of weakness he did.</p><p>Tony likewise was quiet on the journey home and it seemed to surprise Gibbs, stealing glances in the wing-mirror back to where he had his head tipped back over the seat towards the trunk. Whatever painkillers they’d given him on the ambulance ride had fully worn off now and been replaced by the hospital ones. He was quieter; thoughtful, and dazed.</p><p>They managed to get into the elevator without much issue and Tony leaned heavily on the back railing as they travelled upstairs, occasionally catching Ziva’s eye in the mirror. For a moment his gaze got heavy, atmosphere threatening to change as it often did between them in a confined space, but before anything further could develop they ground to a halt and the doors opened on Tony’s floor.</p><p>What Ziva had told Senior about never having visited his apartment wasn't technically true, though it had been a very long time. They almost always hung out at her place and she was fairly sure she hadn't been here since the summer Gibbs retired. As they entered the apartment, flashes of memory passed through her mind.  When they walked past the piano in the main room, she had visions of sitting on the stool running her fingers over the keys as Tony kissed her neck. She shook her head to rid herself of it - one of a long list of occurrences they didn't talk about.</p><p>Ziva dropped both of their bags down on the kitchen counter and turned back to face Tony who had crept up behind her and stood a little encroaching her space.</p><p>"Sorry." Ziva frowned before Tony's good hand came out to touch the dried blood on the front of her vest, down by her bottom ribs.</p><p>"You can pay me for a new jacket."</p><p>"OK. Let me know when you want to go and get one."</p><p>"I was not being serious, Tony."</p><p>He was still looking at the blood down her front, his fingers absently touching the material. He was mostly clean himself – having been washed up when he was in the hospital.</p><p>"Oh. Sorry. Guess I'm out of whack still."</p><p>"The hospital drugs are still in your system. I think you should get some sleep, you will feel better."</p><p>"It's like 7pm."</p><p>"A nap. I will wake you later for food and a shower, no need to panic."</p><p>"What are you gonna do?"</p><p>"Take a shower myself. Do you have any clothes I can change into?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah. Just.." Tony signalled lazily at the chest of drawers visible on his back bedroom wall down the hall. "Take whatever." </p><p>Ziva ignored him for now, putting an arm under his shoulder and helping his tired body down the hall and to bed. He sat down on the edge but resisted when she tried to push him back into it.</p><p>"I have my clothes on."</p><p>"Leave them for now, alright? You can change later."</p><p>He didn't argue, lying down so he was flat on the bed. Ziva pulled the covers back and went to tuck him in, feeling oddly maternal, when he grabbed her arm.</p><p>"Stay."</p><p>"I am staying, Tony."</p><p>"No. Stay."</p><p>She took in his expression, eyes wide and earnest. She nodded and he released her arm.</p><p>She had to make her way over to the other side of the small bed, already trying to figure a way she could fit into it. She eventually cambered into bed on her side facing him, legs carefully curled and placed on top of each other. Her knees hung over his, not possible to avoid touching on such a small bed.</p><p>"Thanks."</p><p>"You are welcome." Ziva spoke quietly by virtue of their proximity - she'd felt the warmth of Tony's breath as he talked.</p><p>"And for the hospital, and everything."</p><p>"It is all a part of the service."</p><p>"I'll clean your jacket. And your car seat."</p><p>It took Ziva a second to register what he was talking about, and then she chucked in recognition.</p><p>"The fact you remember that right now is payback enough."</p><p>Tony smiled before his face turned serious again. "Seriously, thanks. And don’t say it’s your fault-” he continued before her mouth could even open, astute to her feelings even now, “-we do that all the time.”</p><p>"You would do the same for me."</p><p>"Doesn't mean I can't appreciate it."</p><p>She knew this was nothing compared to things he'd done for her over the years. Somalia being a given, of course, but she'd heard a little too about how he'd fought to track her down when she was taken a couple of years ago. She’d always thought, one day, that she’d have to repay the debt she’d built up. But now she knew for a fact she wouldn’t be able to leave even if the building was on fire.</p><p>She looked cautiously at his hand, resting on his chest.</p><p>"If I touch it, wake me, OK?"</p><p>"And by 'it' you mean..."</p><p>"I will let that slide, because of the drugs. Just this once."</p><p>“Did I say anything weird in the ambulance? Don’t remember.”</p><p>“Nothing to worry about.” She breezed over it easily, hoping he wouldn’t notice if a drop of heat rose to her cheeks.</p><p>“OK. Good.”</p><p>"When you are feeling better, we need to have a conversation about why a middle-aged man sleeps in a twin bed."</p><p>"'Cus I'm an idiot." Tony turned his face to the side and mumbled into the pillow. His voice was getting heavier, and slower.</p><p>"I will not argue, but I think you are still a little high on painkillers. Close your eyes."</p><p>"Y'know, your bedside manner.”</p><p>“What about it?”</p><p>“Could do with some work."</p><p>"I promise I will practice for the next time you get hurt."</p><p>"Isn’t gonna be a next time."</p><p>"There is. Because as soon as you are out of this bed, I am going to kill you."</p><p>“Thought you wanted me to sleep?”</p><p>Ziva stroked her fingers in his hair, slowly rubbing his scalp as he closed his eyes.</p><p>"Hmm.. s'nice."</p><p>"Shhh. Go to sleep."</p><p>He hummed against her touch, settling his head deeper into the pillow even with the slight rustle of bandage against it.</p><p>She stayed there, watching him, until he fell asleep. She continued to stroke his hair for a little while longer before stripping off her caked clothes and climbing into the shower.</p>
<hr/><p>Tony was off work for the rest of the week. Of course, for Tony, that meant going stir-crazy, and as a result that meant Ziva's phone was pinging all day with messages updating her on what he was up to. It seemed he'd watched more movies in the last week than she had in her lifetime.</p><p>A quick wrap-up of the case after the incident at the house meant an unexpected free Friday afternoon for Ziva, and she was about to start making dinner when her doorbell rang.</p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>"Hey, it's me."</p><p>Ziva buzzed Tony inside with a little confusion, putting the knife she’d been using to chop vegetables down and making her way to the door to greet him.</p><p>She saw flowers and a plastic bag before she saw him, held in his right hand and against the door about to knock when she opened it. He lowered it with a smile, lifting his cast in an attempt at a wave.</p><p>“What is this?”</p><p>"I, uh.. got you these." Tony handed the flowers Ziva and looked uncharacteristically bashful, rubbing his hand against the side of his tipped head. "To say thanks for everything."</p><p>When their eyes met Ziva's mind instinctively flicked back to the ambulance, and the earnest expression on his face as he'd asked if she knew he loved her. He wondered what he saw in her own eyes, because for a brief second his eyebrow quirked before returning to its normal position.</p><p>"You did not have to, Tony, really. We are partners."</p><p>"Yeah, but you got covered in my blood and then I made you sleep in a twin bed with me while I was drugged out of my mind. You didn’t have to help me shower, did you?”</p><p>“No, but I made you keep the door open in case you fell. You were not pleased at the room temperature.”</p><p>“I guess thanks for<em> that</em>, too.”</p><p>Ziva smiled. "Well, thank you. They are beautiful. Would you like to come in?"</p><p>"Only if you're not busy."</p><p>"I'm about to start making dinner, you are welcome to join me.”</p><p>"'Kay, sure."</p><p>Tony sat down at one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Ziva spent her time finding a vase for the flowers and cutting the stems before placing them in water, all the while her head flicking over her shoulder waiting for conversation that didn’t come.</p><p>She pulled a stool around and sat opposite him, placing the chopping board in front of her. It was decidedly domestic, but she didn't dwell on it. She got back to chopping vegetables, but after a couple more of seconds of silence she looked up at him.</p><p>"Did you just come for the flowers?"</p><p>"Oh, no, I just got those on the way over. McGee told me you guys finished up the case today, so I thought I'd stop by."</p><p>"Ah, so I am not the only one who you have been harassing with messages?"</p><p>"Sorry. But in my defence, we both know you'd be going crazy if you were me."</p><p>"It has been what - two days? I think I could survive two days at home."</p><p>“<em>Sure</em>. You can’t even survive being sent home an hour early.”</p><p>“You can believe what you like.” Ziva knew he was right, so changed the topic. “How is your leg? You seem to be walking better.”</p><p>“Eh, not so bad. Just the cut, pretty much. It’s stiff but I guess that’s to be expected.”</p><p>“And your wrist?”</p><p>“A pain in the ass. Turns out I use both my arms to do basically everything. You don’t want to know how long it took me to get dressed to come over here.”</p><p>“You needn’t have made an effort on my account.” Ziva looked back at him again, taking in the sweater. She’d always liked them on him, even if it was more a symptom of his current inability to do shirt buttons than anything else. “Is chicken OK with you? I have some in the oven.”</p><p>“Perfect. Thanks. I’ve been surviving on take-out.”</p><p>“You do still have one working hand, you know. It would not kill you to eat a salad now and then, especially when you are trying to build your strength back up.”</p><p>“What strength is lettuce gonna give me?”</p><p>“It’s about vitamins.”</p><p>“Oh, <em>vitamins</em>. Of course.” Tony nodded sarcastically as he picked an orange from the fruit bowl on the bar in front of him and began to peel it, as though to make a point.</p><p>“Bad eating is not going to help your recovery.”</p><p>"I didn't have you down as a nurse. This isn't gonna help your softening reputation."</p><p>"Nobody thinks I am soft."</p><p>"Soften<em>ing</em>. Big bad Mossad officer no more, huh?"</p><p>"We can put that to the test, if you like."</p><p>"I think I'm good. But really, Ziva. Thanks. I know I can be an asshole on painkillers."</p><p>"Not at all. You were surprisingly docile once we got to the hospital."</p><p>"But before then. I didn't say anything weird, did I?"</p><p>“You asked that before.”</p><p>“I did?”</p><p>"Yes. But no more so than usual." She’d done a reasonably good job of at least attempting not to hang onto what he said, meaning unknown as weighted as the words were. The thoughts of someone as buzzed as Tony is on painkillers shouldn't be held onto, for obvious reasons.</p><p>There was embarrassment and concern etched on his face even as he tried to appear nonchalant - a frowned expression that suggested maybe he wasn't entirely in the dark. "OK. Good. I was a little worried I.. well, I'm not sure what exactly I was worried about."</p><p>"You did not say anything." Ziva repeated, and he raised his head to meet her eyes.</p><p>It took him a while to reply. "And generally? I feel like I was talking about Deep Six."</p><p>"Oh, you were. But you need not worry, I think the paramedic was charmed by you."</p><p>"Really?" Tony's voice was confusion tinged with amusement.</p><p>"Yes. Maybe it is that self-sacrificing hero stereotype that men try to push."</p><p>"Men do that to you?"</p><p>"In this job? Almost constantly."</p><p>"How's it working out for me?"</p><p>Ziva smiled and rolled her eyes. "There is <em>nothing</em> sexy about you on painkillers, Tony."</p><p>"But I'm not on any strong ones right now."</p><p>"I have seen it all before." The double meaning made him smirk. "It is seared onto my brain."</p><p>"Oh, it is, huh?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"Y'know, some people do this thing. It's called 'lying to make someone feel better'."</p><p>"Perhaps I am."</p><p>Ziva said the words without really meaning to, but the implication that she was lying about her current feelings hung heavily in the air between them. She was glad of the table in front of her, an ability to busy her hands while he stared at her intently. How was it possible, after all this time, that that gaze could still send her off-balance?</p><p>When he eventually drew his eyes away from her, Ziva took a drink.</p><p>It was still a dance, Ziva knew. Both of them not quite having the extra necessary quality - be it courage, or fearlessness, to take the plunge. Ziva wasn't sure, anymore, where Rule 12 stopped and their own personal demons began. How much of the reluctance to take the next step again (again, lest she forget, because it wasn't like they never had before) was because of arbitrary rules that they'd added weight to over the years, or from things the universe had conspired to put in their way.</p><p>The severity of it couldn't be underestimated, she knew. This had long since stopped being a relationship that could lend itself to casual sex. Not like it was back then, before anything had happened.</p><p>It had been a joke, back then. Until it wasn't.</p><p>And maybe that was it. Maybe that was the simple, stereotypical cause of the years of to-and-fro: a fear of being hurt. It seemed cruel, still, to believe Tony capable. It wasn’t a reflection of himself so much as it was her being too much on guard. Foolishly, she'd never quite believed her father or brother were capable either, but Tony couldn't be more opposing to them if he tried.</p><p>As the silence hung between them his head disappeared under the breakfast bar and he re-emerged holding the bag he’d been carrying when he arrived.</p><p>“Almost forgot, you left your jacket. I got it dry-cleaned.”</p><p>“There was no need.”</p><p>“It’s now blood-free, but I’m probably on some kind of register. And no more hospital smell.”</p><p>“That would not bother me so much as the blood, so thank you.”</p><p>Ziva took the bag from him and placed it by her own feet.</p><p>"I just really am not a fan of hospitals."</p><p>"Yes, you said. The plague?"</p><p>"A little. My mom." It hadn't occurred to her, though maybe it should've. She thought about the smiling woman in a forgotten photo as she could see Tony assessing her for her reaction. She gave him a small smile of comfort. "Seen enough of them to last a lifetime."</p><p>"Take care of yourself and you will not need to go back."</p><p>Ziva thought about the last time she'd told him something similar, when he'd ended up shot under a veil of secrecy. Maybe he remembered too, because he chuckled dryly.</p><p>"So no throwing myself down stairs, huh?"</p><p>“If that is a sacrifice you think you can make.” Ziva smiled. “Help me put this into the oven?”</p>
<hr/><p>They were quiet during dinner, Tony struggling with one hand. It was painstaking, the way he was working, but she figured his stubbornness was only going to be increased tenfold in the next couple of weeks.</p><p>He got ready to leave soon after they eat, citing his rapidly dwindling medication reserves and a desire to try to walk home. His balance was a little out of whack, he explained.</p><p>“I will give you a ride, Tony, it is not a problem.”</p><p>“Sure you want me in your car after what happened last time?”</p><p>“It is just pizza.” She repeated his words from a couple of days before, and watched his slow smile of recognition.  </p><p>“All the same, I think I wanna walk. All I’ve done is sit around, I need to get the blood pumping in my leg again.”</p><p>“In that case please let me know when you manage to let yourself into the building. I can just imagine you frozen on the doorstep with your keys on the floor.”</p><p>“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”</p><p>“Your dry-cleaning bill will be getting bigger and bigger.”</p><p>“You’d still be coming to rescue me, huh?”</p><p>“Somebody has to.”</p><p>Tony shook his head at her with affection, not quite the reaction she’d been expecting. They both stood from the sofa and Tony looked down at his legs, humming. Ziva waited expectantly before he looked back up at her with a more thoughtful expression.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Thank you for the other day. Seriously. I know you think it wasn’t a big deal, but…” he trailed off and Ziva wasn’t especially surprised when his hand came out to touch hers, squeezing her fingers lightly in the way he’d done the whole ambulance ride to the hospital. Touch had become so natural between them now that she wasn’t even sure he’d realised what he was doing until she looked back up at his face and saw the sincerity in his eyes. “All that – y’know, waiting at the hospital, staying over. I appreciate it.”</p><p>“Any time.”</p><p>She smiled as he went to drop her hand, but the split second of hesitation in the gesture made it fade a little on her lips. When he did finally do it, just as the moment threatened to turn, she couldn’t ignore the fleeting moment of disappointment.</p><p>“Be careful I don’t take you up on that.” Back in the present, his voice returned to a tease.</p><p>“Yes, well. Please don’t.”</p><p>As he turned away to walk towards the door Ziva weighed her options, but before she could settle on a decision he stopped dead again.</p><p>"Ziva.." The contrast in his voice was enough to make her heart speed up, sudden and heavy and forceful.</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>Tony turned back round to face her but didn’t respond right away. Ziva hadn’t realised how close they’d been standing after he’d stopped walking, and her eyes flicked down momentarily to his lips. He was biting his bottom one in uncertainty.</p><p>"What I remember saying in the ambulance. I said it, didn't I?"</p><p>She blinked. He’d said the words so abruptly, as though they’d been behind his lips all night. "Yes. You did.” The brief flash of rabbit-in-the-headlights expression on his face was enough for Ziva to try to cover it quickly, even as he composed himself. “But you do not need to worry about it - it would be unfair for me to-"</p><p>Ziva stopped talking as his good hand came out to touch her cheek now, time suddenly slowing. He lingered, looking at her intently. She dared him to do something.</p><p>There was a slight pull between them and she wondered if she’d leaned towards him or if it was her imagination, but they seemed to be enclosing on each other. Air heavy around them, and feet almost touching.</p><p>They stayed cramped in each other’s space, eyes darting, until she exhaled. Tony turned his head, briefly, and she did the same. It was him that took a step back in the end, minute as it was. Hand still on her face.</p><p>"I should get going.”</p><p>She wished in that moment, more than any other time in the past seven years, she could get a glimpse inside his head. Understood what specifically had made him step back. Was it that he, too, had become brutally aware of the weight this carried? That a kiss would never just be a kiss, and neither of them wanted it to be? That there were a string of inevitabilities tied to this now: fearful things that neither of them had ever been good at, serious life-altering moments that didn’t usually take root in an abstract confession spouted while high in the back of an ambulance. It might work in Tony's movies, but that kind of spontaneity was something Ziva knew never came easily where their relationship was concerned. That fear, ever-present again as she watched his eyes pore over her. Talking herself out of something she knew she wanted more than anything.</p><p>Tony smiled. Decision made, she assumed. And then, somewhere in the midst of self-doubt and questioning, he took a step back towards her.</p><p>Ziva hadn't thought it possible to underestimate someone you knew this well, but she realised she’d done just that the second he began to lean in.</p><p>She had always known their feelings for one another were the simple part of the intricacies of their relationship, but she wasn't expecting the way every over-analytical thought died on her tongue in an instant when his eyes flicked down her face. Had it been anyone else it would've sent her running, desperate to regain control, but time had always made this the exception. As he leaned in closer Ziva wondered how she ever could've feared this - the look in his eyes right before they closed that sent a shiver down her spine.</p><p>The kiss was slow, and exceedingly soft, and Ziva melted against his lips. The atmosphere so quickly changing, but settling into something that felt eye-openingly natural. Not so much a wall breaking, but a small stone falling out of place to let it through.</p><p>It felt so instinctual that she couldn’t help but wonder how much Tony had been aware of his words before he’d arrived. Whether he’d had an inkling, like a dream, or if he’d remembered the expression on her face when he’d said he loved her in the ambulance. His tongue brushed against her lips, briefly, and Ziva’s hands cupped his face in a way she remembered him doing on her own. A ghost touch on her skin. His other hand hung limply in its cast by his side and threatened to make her laugh against his lips but his tongue chose that exact moment to enter mouth properly, and a small noise in the back of her throat went without saying.</p><p>It continued for a couple of seconds longer before Tony pulled back a touch and sighed against her skin, still breathing the same air.</p><p>“If I don’t keep moving my leg’s gonna seize up.”</p><p>Ziva exhaled a laugh but didn’t move, still holding the sides of his face.</p><p>As they stayed still, caught in the moment, Ziva was reminded of the first time their lips had come together like this. Frozen in a dimly-lit hotel room, sexual energy practically buzzing off the walls as their eyes locked. The contrast in emotion now couldn’t be sharper, but her heartbeat racing at his touch was echoing that night exactly.</p><p>“Fuck. I don’t wanna just leave.” The words were whispered above her mouth, sensual and smooth in her way that made her skin heat. “If I don’t take those meds..”</p><p>“I have no desire to experience that.” Ziva’s own whisper was punctuated with a humour meant to reassure him that she understood, and she felt him smile as she kissed him again.</p><p>A beat passed and he pulled away, tapping her cheek lightly with his palm.</p><p>"'Kay.” Her eyes opening on his seemed to make his smile widen further, and he ran his fingers through his hair again in that strange self-conscious way. “Crap, I can’t believe this. I’ll – um, I’ll ring you later.”</p><p>Ziva tried to hide her own echoed surprise at the rapid turn of events, fighting against the instinct to freeze still in place as he reluctantly left her personal space.</p><p>“OK.”</p><p>“Do you want to come over after you finish work tomorrow? We could hang out.”</p><p>The question was casual, as though it was nothing, but the prospect made Ziva’s head swim. She smiled. “I would like that.”</p><p>“Alright. Cool. I’ll see you tomorrow.”</p><p>“See you then.”</p><p>There was an awkward moment when Tony tried to open the door still turned away, his lone hand struggling. As though it was aware he was having to leave too soon, and by some cosmic force was trying to prevent him. Much as other developments in their relationship over the years he was leaving in a whirlwind, but now a promise of something further to come. Concrete, that they could hold onto.</p><p>Ziva knew this was the point of no return. It felt different, as he dawdled still under the doorframe. There was no turning back now.</p><p>When the door was open he bowed out of it backwards, his eyes not leaving Ziva’s until he reached the end of the hallway. It took her a prolonged couple of seconds after he’d disappeared out of sight to close the door.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>remember when tony and ziva didn't get together during s10? thanks i hate it</p></blockquote></div></div>
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